We have friars, seven of them. Two are ordained. They usually wear a habit, except in the very hot Florida summers.
Our friars are undistinguishable from each other. They all use the title Brother. They wear the same habit or when they’re not in habit they all wear a roman collar or secular clothes.
To the people in our parish the clothes don’t affect us, because we can’t tell who is a priest and who is not. The friars don’t want to make that distinction among themselves.
The only time that you know is when the sacraments are celebrataed.
It’s also interesting, becasue on the buletin their names all appear as Fr. John, etc. But the Fr. is for Friar not Father.
They do not wear an amice for mass. Their capuche is worn over the chasuble.
Our altar servers, male and female, wear cassocks.
I noticed something at the Good Friday Service at the Vatican, Fr. Reinero (sp?) wore his habit and no stole. I asked one of our friars why he preached without a stole and he explaned that they do not wear a stole for preaching, except for mass, because they are an order of preachers, so all friars can preach. He explained the whole rule about some religious orders being Excempt Orders, which means that they are excempt from some disciplines and this is one of the ones that Franciscans and Dominicans are excempt from.
I thought that was interesting. He also explained that calling the Pope’s preacher Father was done by the American translator on EWTN, because it’s more common in the USA to call priests Father than Brother or Friar. But it’s not their preference.
He then showed me a picture of Cardinal Sean from Boston. He pointed out how the Cardinal only wears a cassock when it’s aboslutely unavoidable. Otherwise he wears the Brothers’ habit with the red kipah.
Our parish is very interesting in regard to dress, because the Capuchins have interesting tradtions. They may choose to wear a side rosary on their habit, but the rosary may not have a crucifix. It’s against the rule of St. Francis. It must be a wooden cross. Only the Leonine Franciscans wear a crucifix.
They can wear grey or white in the hot summer months, but they are only allowed to wash them once a week and they only get two habits each, because of their vow of poverty.
Imagine wearing the same two habits for a week in 90 degree temps. I prefer they wear a shirt that they can wash more often. I can do without the odor of sanctity. LOL
Regardless of what they wear, we love them and the church is always full of young and old.
JR
